A national-security expert went on a Twitter rant against Trump's nuclear weapons position

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Reuters/Lucas Jackson
John Noonan, a national-security expert who advised Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney, went off on Twitter on Wednesday, arguing that Trump's position on nuclear weapons makes him unfit for the presidency.

John Noonan, who advised both Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney on national security, has been criticized for espousing what some say are aggressive views on nuclear weapons. The Institute for Policy Studies characterized Noonan as part of the "hawkish extreme" of the Republican Party.

Noonan pointed out on Twitter that if Trump really were willing to use nuclear weapons, he would be disregarding over half a century of national-security wisdom.

He also suggested that Trump's combative personality would make him too dangerous a figure to hold the keys to nuclear power — an attack line often used by Hillary Clinton and Democrats.

Here's the full tweetstorm:

In the case of an attack, American presidents have just minutes to decide whether to unleash nuclear power on other countries.

Trump's proposals to torture enemies and kill their families have raised questions about whether the military could legally refuse to follow his orders if they constitute war crimes.